Kamala Harris, the Vice President Candidate for Joe Biden
JAKARTA - Kamala Harris is the first black and Indian-American woman to participate in the US Election. Kamala Harris is running as a vice presidential candidate to accompany Joe Biden. It's indeed terrifying for Trump-Mike Pence.
Harris' mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was born in Chennai. She immigrated to the US to attend a doctoral program at UC Berkeley. Like Barack Obama, her mixed-race heritage allows Harris to connect across identities and reach multiple audiences.
After the divorce of her parents, Harris was raised by her mother. She also often accompanies her mother during her visit to India. But Harris said that her mother also adopted the black culture in Oakland. And she grew up with that culture.
"She knew that her adopted homeland would see Maya and me as black girls, and she was determined to make sure we would grow into confident, proud black women," Harris wrote in his autobiography The Truths We Hold.
Kamala Harris studied in the US, spending four years at Howard University, one of the leading black colleges and universities in the nation's history. She described her life in college as one of the most formative experiences of her life. Harris said that she has always been comfortable with her identity and only describes herself as "American."
In 2019, she said that politicians shouldn't be allowed into the compartments because of their skin color or background. "What I mean is, 'I am who I am. I'm fine with that. You may need to find out, but I'm fine with that,'" she said as quoted by the BBC, Wednesday, August 12.
Her solidarity with her black fellows was also shown in the days after George Floyd died at the hands of police in Minneapolis last May. George Floyd's death sparked national talk about race, Harris joined protesters on the streets of Washington DC.
Harris, along with Senator Cory Booker, an African-American, became a Democratic Party advocate to fight police abuse. They also took the lead in opposing Republican policy reforms. This move is considered unserious.
Donald Trump's Worst Nightmare
In 2019, Kamala Harris stepped to the fore of a candidate crowd on the back of a series of powerful debating performance. She criticized her rival, Joe Biden. However, now Harris is joining hands with Biden to fight other candidates, namely Donald Trump and Mike Pence.
The appointment of Harris as Biden's representative was greeted bitterly by his rivals. Trump's campaign advisory team says they don't like Biden's choice. Some Trump campaign advisers said that they would rather see Biden vote for other candidates, such as Susan Rice and Karen Bass. Unlike Harris, the two names are seen as antidotes to controversy.
Advisers fear Harris's election can disrupt Trump's official campaign strategy. It is feared that Harris will highlight Trump's history of racist and sexist rhetoric. Even though currently Trump is trying hard to win back the voters who were turned off by these issues.
Harris, also widely viewed as a center-left politician, has faced criticism from the left-wing Democrats for not being progressive enough. That complicates Trump's campaign efforts to portray Biden and his vice-presidential election as members of the "radical left".
Trump's senior political adviser predicts his team will have a hard time shaping Harris's image in the voters' eyes. By her nature, Harris is an impressive historic choice for every voter on the campaign trail. Her attitude during the interrogation of Attorney General William Barr and Chief Justice Brett Kavanaugh while testifying on Capitol Hill is in the spotlight. At that moment, Harris showed the image of how strong and assertive she was.
Harris has often said that her identity makes her uniquely suited to represent those who are marginalized. Now, Biden decided to make Harris as his partner. Harris might get a chance to defend the marginalized of the White Hous